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If you're thinking of visiting Canada, there's no better place to start than Ottawa. With cultural influences from around the world and a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities to discover, this is a fantastic city to host your next corporate offsite retreat.
Here, your team can upgrade their work-related skills, build stronger friendships or simply relax as they take in the stunning scenery and charming cityscape.
As Canada's capital city, Ottawa offers a consolidated slice of the nation's culture. This allows your team to experience the veritable beauty of Canada in a single, unforgettable trip.
And because of the dramatic changing of the seasons, no two visits are ever the same. During the winter, your team can enjoy group activities like ice skating and skiing while during the summer sailing and whitewater rafting are popular pastimes.
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We've put together a list of
team-building activities for company retreats in
Ottawa
, including options that work well for both small and large teams.
Along the Rideau Canal, ByWard Market, and Parliament Hill, this Ottawa retreat agenda combines structured sessions with a local outdoor experience and a relaxed final day.
Ottawa is a strong option for teams that want a calm, structured environment with a mix of government, culture, and nature. A corporate retreat in Ottawa combines a clean, organized city layout with access to green spaces and historic landmarks, making it ideal for focused work and relaxed team time.
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is about 15–20 minutes from downtown by car. It offers direct connections to major Canadian and some US cities, and additional international access is possible via Toronto or Montreal.
The most comfortable months are May to June and September to early October, with temperatures typically between 65–79°F. Summers are pleasant and suitable for outdoor activities, while winters are very cold, often dropping below 20°F, which usually shifts retreat plans toward indoor sessions.
Downtown Ottawa is the most practical for access to venues and landmarks, ByWard Market offers a lively and social atmosphere, Centretown provides a balanced and local feel, and The Glebe is quieter with a more residential charm.
Teams often choose activities like cycling along the Rideau Canal, boat tours on the Ottawa River, guided city tours, museum visits, and seasonal outdoor activities such as skating on the canal in winter or park-based challenges in warmer months.
Most teams plan 2 to 3 days in Ottawa. The city’s compact layout allows for an efficient schedule while still leaving room for team-building and informal moments.
Ottawa offers a quieter and more structured atmosphere compared to cities like Toronto or Montreal. It’s known for its clean layout, cultural institutions, and access to nature, which makes a corporate retreat in Ottawa feel more focused and less hectic.
Ottawa has a growing food scene with a mix of local and international options. Teams often organize group dinners in ByWard Market, try Canadian specialties, and explore casual dining spots across the city.
Ottawa is well suited for business-focused retreats, including strategy sessions, leadership offsites, and company gatherings that benefit from a quieter, more structured environment.
Ottawa can accommodate both small teams and larger groups. A corporate retreat in Ottawa can scale depending on the team size, with a range of hotels, venues, and activity options available.
Surf Office was amazing to work with - from the initial introductory call to the final day of our corporate retreat! They are well-organised, transparent, super reliable and the communication throughout the planning and execution phase was prompt and clear. We are looking forward to working with them for future company retreats.
I had the absolute pleasure of working with Elke and Álvaro to plan our onsite, and I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the very beginning, they were incredibly friendly, responsive, and genuinely enthusiastic about helping us create a great event. Elke was so thoughtful and organized, always making sure every little detail was covered and keeping everything running smoothly. She brought such a positive energy to the process — she was super approachable and made collaboration easy and fun. Throughout the entire planning period, they both went above and beyond to support us. I really appreciated how proactive they were in anticipating our needs, and how enjoyable every interaction was. It truly felt like working with partners who cared as much about the success of our onsite as we did. Thank you, Elke and Álvaro, for being such a joy to work with! I’d happily work with you both again any time.
It's our second year working with Surf Office for our company offsite (30 pax first year, and 42 pax second year), and we're super happy! This year our offsite was a huge success, with direct impact on our employees' satisfaction, company culture, and alignment with our mission. The week they put together for us was perfect on all fronts: venue selection, logistics, activities, last-minute changes - everything was super well executed. Couldn't recommend them more! And... I know whom we're working with next year!
Working with Surf Office was a great experience from start to finish. Communication was smooth, the planning was thoughtful, and the platform made coordination easy. We really appreciated the well-curated suggestions for locations, activities, and restaurants – everything felt carefully considered. Beyond that, the setup created a great team atmosphere, making it easy to connect and enjoy our time together. We would definitely recommend Surf Office to any team looking for a well-organized and inspiring retreat.
Danielle, Giselle and the SurfOffice team were extremely cooperative, understanding and flexible to support my team’s 80-person offsite in Belgrade, Serbia. From being patient with our company’s lengthy vendor due diligence and procurement process, to responding swiftly when an attendee misplaced her passport - everything went really smoothly. Working with them took a huge load off our shoulders and their relationships with hotels/activities/venues also helped us secure good deals. Would definitely recommend their services to any company who’s looking to plan for an enjoyable team offsite.
We recently organized our company offsite with SurfOffice, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the very beginning: The location selection and contract negotiations with Giselle, to the actual planning and execution of the offsite together with Elke, everything was handled exceptionally well. Working with Elke was truly outstanding. She was incredibly proactive, always thinking several steps ahead, and responded extremely quickly to every question or change. She managed to get fast answers from all providers: from transport companies to hotels and local activity partners- and did so with a consistently friendly and professional attitude. Thanks to her dedication, we had little organizational workload on our side, and we always felt fully supported. The offsite turned out to be an amazing experience for our whole team, and we’re certain we couldn’t have organized something like this on our own. SurfOffice played a huge role in making our offsite in Kemer such a success, and we can wholeheartedly recommend them to any company planning an offsite for a larger group.
Sara was fantastic in organising our company trip to Istanbul - she was quick to reply, offered great solutions to issues, and made the trip itself seamless and enjoyable. Already looking forward to the next one!
Expertise and competence in service. Friendly, helpful, and respectful communication. Comfortable, welcoming, and inspiring surroundings.
This was our second year working with Surf to plan our annual company retreat, and once again, they smashed it. We had a beautiful, restorative and fun retreat just outside of Barcelona that the whole team loved. It was so lovely to have the team's support in planning such a complex event, and they did a great job at helping us stay within budget. Great experience overall.
The most popular team building activities are surf lessons, SUP lessons and tapas night but there are plenty more to choose from.
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